This portrait was created at one of my favorite locations on the island. It has it all the rocky coast, waves, palm trees, and the west Maui mountains, and will be part of the new collection of Maui images on exhibit at the Montage Kapalua Bay Hotel in the coming weeks. Printed as a panorama this image would look great above the couch or bed!

While the majority of my posts are landscapes, whales, reefs, or other wide angle scenes, I do like macro photography so I am going to start posting a few images a week of interesting critters like this one.

This Pygmy Cuttle Fish is the size of my thumb nail. Hard to believe I actually saw it. It’s texture and color mixes with the bottom topography and if it had not moved, I would have missed it.

I had the opportunity to go whale watching this week in Maui, and it was so nice to get out on the water. The whales were ever-present and we saw several competition pods, and a few mother calf and escorts. On the boat was Lisa Walker and Oriana Kalama and they recording singing, as well as trying to get some fluke shots. Towards the end of the day we found ourselves near Lahaina, observing this whale breach.

I think it was jumping for joy, but perhaps the whale just wanted to see Lahaina….

Whales love Maui!

While I love whale watching in Hawaii, it makes me think of how lucky I am to be able to go to Tonga each season and legally swim with Humpback whales.

If not for the storm clouds this sunset would have had lots of color. But, the rain cloud does add drama to the scene. The great thing about photographing sunsets in Hawaii, is that even if you go to the same location, each time the conditions are different.

Maui has been enjoying Seattle type weather for the last week. Dreary skies with lots of rain. While the island needs the rain, the weather has kept people inside. Go figure. Well, last night I was driving home around sunset time and there was a break in the rain and I could see wispy clouds. So, I took a chance and grabbed my camera and went to the beach and was able to create this image.

This is the beach in front of what will one day be the new Hilton in Maui

So at the end of the day, no pun intended, you never know unless you go……..

Just a few minutes after this image was created the rain came and stayed all night….. Aloha all!

How about this drawing of a whale by James, from the Montessori School of Maui! I am so impressed by the art created by the kids in response to my recent presentation at their school. Talking about whales and sharing photographs with this group of students was really rewarding. These kids are the future and providing them with a message of conservation & preservation will have an affect as they grow up. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to speak to these kids, and look forward to doing more programs like this in schools next year.

I went for a whale watch yesterday and since I have seen so many images the last few years created by people whale watching that dunked their camera over the side of the boat that I decided to bring my underwater set up just in case we got mugged. And, as it turned out it was a good call as we did get surrounded by whales and had to shut down the motors for a while.

Now I have 9 seasons experience swimming with whales in Tonga but I had never just leaned over the side and prayed to get a photo. I learned it is not easy. The first problem is not seeing the animals so there is no composition. Simply dunk and fire. Second, bubbles from dunking stick to the front and preclude getting a good focus. Still it was a ton of fun.

Maui, has beautiful bamboo forests, sandy beaches, rugged and rocky coastlines, waterfalls, verdant valleys, streams, the pacific ocean, and so much more. Indeed the island is paradise for photographers. That said the quality of light in Maui can at times be challenging to manage. That’s why everyone that wants to make the best images possible should use tools like graduated neutral density and polarizing filters.

I use filters so I can create the best image possible in the camera in order to minimize my time at the computer. If you have never used filters take some time and do a search on YouTube for “using graduated Neutral density filters”. There are hundreds of short videos to choose from.

In my camera bag I currently have both HI-tech and Lee filters, and use them almost every time I go out in nature. For forests where there is no clear horizon line I use soft neutral graduated filters. When making images along the ocean where there is a clear horizon I use hard Neutral graduated filters. When making images of sunrise or sunset when the bright sun is at the horizon reverse neutral density filters lower the the light in the brightest area of the image and then tapers off.

Using filters allows you to slow the shutter speed and get creative. Keep in mind that when using slow shutter speeds a tripod is required. Using a remote shutter release is also a good idea as it minimizes camera shake.

using graduated neutral filters in the middle of the day

This image was created around noon in the harsh light of day. Using neutral density filters allowed me to manage the light enabling an exposure of F-20 @ 1 second. Notice how the water has a nice smooth flow and looks like a capa frapachino……

This morning I had the good fortune to see a pregnant Hawaiian Monk Seal resting on the beach. These animals are endangered and seeing one is very special. From what little I know these seals hunt at night so she was likely very tired. To make sure she does not get disturbed a team of volunteers was keeping humans away. These guys have to deal with everyone that walks by and wants to know why the beach is taped off and why cant they get closer. I watched from a distance for a while and saw what they go through. While there patience is certainly tested their hearts are in the right place and they are doing the seals a great service.

I was hoping the low clouds would allow for great light at sunset but that did not happen. Instead the cloud cover intensified and rain came. This image was created only seconds before the deluge that came.